Birds of Pennsylvania. 33 



This bird, well known to sportsmen, is frequently confounded by 

 the casual observer with the Gray or Wilson's Snipe. This error, 

 however, can readily be avoided if you bear in mind that the Wood- 

 cock has entire lower parts, including lining of wings, uniformly red 

 dish brown; on the other hand, the snipe has abdomen white, throat 

 and upper parts of the breast speckled and the lining of the wings 

 barred with white and black. Bill in both species measures two and 

 one half inches or more in length. The Woodcock arrives in Penn- 

 sylvania about the middle of March, sometimes earlier, and occasion- 

 ally a few are found during the '' warm-spells " of winter lingering 

 about the spring-heads. This bird, strictly speaking, is an inhabitant 

 of the lowlands and boggy districts of our woods and dense thickets. 

 Oftentimes during the fall migrations it is found along the muddy 

 shores of streams, &c., or in the late summer when its usual feeding- 

 grounds have become dry and hard through the continued summer's 

 heat, it resorts to corn-fields where it probes the humid soil in search 

 of food. I am not positive that the " Wood-hen, as some ipsthetic 

 market-women prefer to call her," makes any attempt to build a nest. 

 In April, on three occasions, I have found eggs, and once (May 10) 

 took four young, but a few days old, all of which were on the ground 

 in the woods. The eggs were deposited in slight depressions in the 

 earth, in and about which were dried leaves ; the young birds were 

 discovered on a lot of dead oak-leaves, and from the appearance of 

 their bed I judge they had been there only a short time. It is stated 

 by Dr. Ooues '' that the young are sometimes removed from danger 

 by the parent carrying them with the feet." The Woodcock is prin- 

 cipally nocturnal in its habits, and during the fall migrations is gre- 

 garious. I shot one of these birds in Florida, in March, 1885, and was 

 informed by Mr. Richard L. Dade that the species breeds in that 



State. 



Food. 



Nuttall writes : "According to their usual habits, they keep secluded 

 in the woods and thickets till the approach of evening, when they 

 sally forth to seek out springs, paths and broken soil, in quest of 

 worms and other insects, on which they feed. They now disperse 

 themselves over the country to breed, and indicate their presence in 

 all directions by the marks of their boring bills, which are seen in 

 such soft and boggy places as are usually sheltered by thickets and 

 woods. They also turn over the fallen leaves from side to side with 

 their bills in quest of lurking insects, but never scratch with their 

 feet, though so robust in appearance. The sensibility possessed by 

 the extremity of the bill, as in the Snipe, is of such an exquisite na- 

 ture that they are enabled to collect their food by the mere touch, 

 3 Birds. 



